WICHITA, Kansas -- Wichita firefighters tried to save 3 dogs - a mother and her two puppies - from a house fire back in January.
They used newly donated animal oxygen masks - but were only able to save one of the three.
The puppy left behind is getting a new beginning.
That second puppy responded to fresh oxygen and Wichita Animal Control quickly took her to the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital of Wichita.
"When she arrived to our facility she was a critically ill animal.," explains veterinarian Dr. Brock Lofgreen.
But she survived the first two days.
"She responded really well over the first 48 hours to the point she was able to go to a foster home," says Dr. Lofgreen.
And has since turned into this vigorous and playful pup named ember.
Today Wichita firefighter Dan McElroy adopted the pup as a surprise for his wife Samantha.
"I obviously felt bad the dog lost her mom and sibling in the fire. My wife has been on me for quite a while to get another dog, we have a Chihuahua so I said I gotta adopt this dog," says McElroy.
The department's new animal oxygen masks credited with making this day possible.
"It's amazing that a pup that young was able to pull out of it but if it was let's wait till someone can take her to the vet, I don't think we would have had this outcome," says Captain Stuart Bevis with the Wichita Fire Department.
The animal masks allow a seal around the snout of an animal - helping to force fresh oxgen into their lungs - that combined with C.P.R. gave Ember a second chance.
"It's become a priority once we know we don't have human life risk and we have crews available that we're gonna do whatever we can to save people's pets," explains Captain Bevis.
At the time of the house fire Ember was about 10 days old.
She is now a 6 week old terrier mix that will grow to be about 15 pounds.
